St Louis airport is quite easy to navigate for a newbie. Intermediate parking was $11 a day and was directly across from the main terminal. A shuttle was readily available for the swift trip to the terminal. I flew United and was quite relieved to discover that my baggage would be checked all the way through to Barcelona (I had to switch planes twice and would switch airlines once). All my flights were on time except the 7:25am flight out of London. It departed 35 minutes late. Chicago and London airports were easy to navigate and they each had well marked signs. Barcelona airport was a different story. Everyone on the flight assumed that since we landed in Terminal A our luggage would go to Terminal A baggage claim. NOT! Always check the screens because once you enter a claim area, you have entered a secured area- you cant go back inside the terminal and you cant exit the claim area without having to reenter the general terminal. In short: you have to go through security.

After four attempts at Spanish and 40 minutes, I finally found WHERE to go. Luckily most folks on my flight made the same mistake. Our luggage was later found in Terminal B. I found an ATM and withdrew 140 E as I waited for Beckys flight to arrive from Paris. I discovered I had to retrace my steps and go back to Terminal A. Once back at A, I waited about 35 minutes before she walked out of the baggage claim area. We hugged and immediately set outside to get in the taxi line. The line moved quickly and we were ushered into a cab within 2 minutes. Our driver didnt speak English, but we got to our destination, Hotel Regencia Colon. The taxi ride cost us 35 E.

HOTEL: We paid $155 for a regular double sized room. The location was perfect! Its located in the heart of the gothic quarter directly across from the Cathedral. It is a short walk to La Ramblas. Bus Touristic has a stop nearby also. There are several restaurants across the street, including Cafe Bisbe which I give high marks. Pharmacy also nearby (and a Starbucks, but I refused to even consider that!) The room was small, typical European. There were two twins pushed together in our double room. The bath was small, compact with a narrow shower/tub combo and toilet & bidet. Dental kit, shampoo, bath milk, soaps, hairdryer were provided. Room had an AC thermometer but it didn't work, so no AC. Room was very warm during the day, but we opened the window at night which cooled our room to a comfortable level. Room was furnished appropriately but nothing to write home about. It seemed tired and in need of replacing. The lobby consisted of a reception area and lounge. The daytime front desk workers were not the most pleasant individuals, but they did speak English. The nighttime desk worker was very funny and very helpful. The elevator is very small and has a manual door. We were allowed to store our luggage during our check out day in the lobby. Overall, the hotel was fine for our needs- a place to rest our head after a transatlantic flight and a day full of sightseeing. We didn't spend much time in the room. Read more